PICKWELL FARM PUMPKIN PATCH

9 October 2016

Yesterday we decided that we were bored of waiting for Iris to arrive and that we were going to head out pumpkin picking. I wanted to wait until she was born and go altogether. I just had imagined this as our first family of 4 outing, but she's not as impatient as her brother, so we decided to head out with my mum and the 3, and a bump, of us and go and pick some pumpkins.

This could easily be our last weekend as a family of 3, as Brad's working next weekend, I also could easily go into labour at anytime too.

We're cherishing everyday together as the 3 of us at the moment and even though I have hit that stage where I feel so poorly, exhausted and seriously uncomfortable. It's crazy that i'm now taking out the premature baby outfits and drawing closer to my due date and also knowing that my body is carrying a baby that weighs nearly 7lbs roughly, nearly a whole half a pound more than what her brother did and i'm carrying that weight around, and possibly going to be carrying around a baby weighing even more than that as we draw closer to due date. It's all very crazy, exciting and scary. So making the most of family days out and treating Lucas is so important to us.

Pickwell farm is somewhere i've wanted to go for so long, and i'm so glad our first trip was to pick pumpkins. Pumpkin picking for me is a perfect fun trip out, you get to pick your own pumpkin, in some cute and quirky shapes, shapes that you don't find in the supermarket. I loved watching Lucas running around yelling "pumkin" and trying to pick them up and finding all the squashed ones and it was the cutest when Lucas started saying "mummy pumkin," "daddy pumkin," "nanna pumkin," "buddha pumkin," and "ducas pumkin."

Pumpkin fields also make the most perfect backdrop for photographs too. The colours, the autumnal feeling, and an excited toddler running through amazed by all the pumpkins.

Pickwell farm is a lovely pick-your-own farm in Netley in Southampton, Hampshire. It's somewhere i've driven past for years and always thought "I want to pick my own fruit." Pumpkin picking wasn't something i'd thought about until having Lucas.
Pickwell has lots of seasonal fruit and veg to pick, Strawberries, rhubarb, sweetcorn, raspberries, blackberries, ect... all on offer and it's honestly not an expensive trip either. Freshly picked, by yourself, fruit and vegetables at a low price, bonus!

The pumpkin field was a little bit of a walk away, but not too far and walking past all the other fruit and veg make for lovely scenery on your walk too. We grabbed a wheelbarrow and Lucas helped push it all the way to the pumpkin field. He's going to be a pumpkin for halloween and he's very excited about it. He loves pumpkins and when asked to say halloween, waves and says "hello ween."
The pumpkin patch was fuller than I thought and had a great variety of shapes and sizes. It sent the photographer in me into the most excited state.

Next to the pumpkin patch was the cornfield and Lucas kept picking up corn off the floor that had dropped off and yelling "NARNA." My child thought sweetcorn was a banana. Close but not close enough. He also loved running through the cornfield and I was a little concerned we would never find him again in there.

Lucas chose himself a little "Ducas" sized pumpkin and put it in the wheelbarrow. He was very determined to push the wheelbarrow by himself, but thank goodness with a little persuasion he allowed my mum or Brad to push with him as we'd probably still be there now if he had of pushed it himself. He also would have squashed all the strawberries and other veg.

Brad and I chose one big pumpkin too and if i'm completely honest I have no idea what we're going to do with it. It wont last until halloween to carve I don't think, so It may just be decoration.

We walked up and down the field, looking at all the pumpkins, Lucas taking in all the colours, shapes and finding ones that had been squashed or were muddy. He yelled "UGHH, D-GUSTING" at the squashed ones and we also found some with spiders on and he yelled "EASSY PIDERS" as he brushed them off.

After we picked our two pumpkins, Lucas' "Lucas" size one and our big family one, we headed back to the shop where we purchased a bunch of little, cute, pumpkins and squashes for decoration in our house and some halloween lollipops. The cost altogether came to £6.63 or something. Two pick your own pumpkins, 6 miniature squashes and pumpkins and a pack of lollies. I couldn't believe it, so cheap and a lovely afternoon as a family too.

After the pumpkin picking we headed next door to a pub called 'The plough' for lunch and had a really delicious lunch and then an even more delicious pudding. What's even better than an autumnal afternoon pumpkin picking, then a warm meal and a Rhubarb crumble and custard for dessert.
We've had such a lovely afternoon, and was really glad my mum could come along too. We also have a lovely day planned for Sunday too, with Brad's mum and step dad so if this is our last weekend as a family of 3, and with our little pumpkin, that's the size she's going to be roughly in veg terms on Tuesday, tucked up in my tummy, then I know it was a gooden.

I would recommend anyone local visits Pickwell to go and pick your own pumpkins and get some super cute pictures too. We will be back in the summer, if not before to pick some fruit.
Some more of my favourite pictures are left below! We took a lot.